The Big Move

I’ve mentioned a few times on here that I’m in the process of moving to the east coast (where I am from) to be with Bryan. He’s currently living in New Jersey and I am currently living in California. After almost a year of doing the long distance thing we decided it was worth it and I would move back east.

Just so you all don’t think this is crazy…We actually met back in Massachusetts in the fall of 2004 when I was working/attending classes at the college that he just started at. He was actually dating my work-study student at the time. I think when I first met him he had is ears stretched slightly, his lip pierced and a rainbow of hair colors (blond, green, blue and black….I missed the orange hair). I moved to California to pursue photography school in Southern California, he stayed at the school where we met for a bit longer then left for PSU to finish up his undergraduate degree. I left photography school and moved up to Monterey, where I have been living and working for the past five years. We became “friends” (meaning we chatted at the school, my office etc. but sadly never got to hangout outside of school). One of the days before I left for good, he came in to my office with a DVD full of good music for me to take with me…I still have this DVD.

Over these last five years we’ve stayed in touch by e-mail. Every few months one of us would drop the other a line to say hello, see what was going on etc. But last March Bryan posted a status message on Facebook about injuring his ankle in a hockey game and that he would be out for the rest of the season. Me being the person I am (growing up really wanted to become a pathologist) asked to see a photo. Bryan being the clever guy that he is, says “give me your phone number and I’ll text you a picture” (Little did I realize, he could have just emailed it to me…ya he’s good and I’m slow!). So I give him my number, get the text and his ankle was NASTY!!! But I highly enjoyed the photo. Since then there hasn’t been a day that we haven’t talked (texted, emailed, chatted etc). Ha ha I remember one night in particular – felt like I was in high school again. We were talking online until 4:00 am (my time…7 am his time!!!). Still makes me smile and laugh.

With this non stop chatting I took a chance and flew out to see him last summer. I have never been to NYC, he lived close and I hadn’t seen him in four years so figured I could kill two birds with one stone. He met me at the airport and it was like we never missed a beat. There was no awkwardness just lots of laughing and good times. It rained the majority of my time there but it didn’t stop us for sight-seeing. We made it to Asbury Park/Lanes (to see one of his best friend’s band play) and some awesome adventures in NYC. Central Park is beautiful and of course we found the LOVE sculpture.

Since then he has come to visit me twice and I went back at Christmas to be with him, his family and for him to meet my family (who all fell in love with him). The long distance hasn’t been easy but its been good enough to help make this last. We could have easily thrown in the towel and called it quits due to the distance alone but I thought he and this was worth it and he thought that I was worth it, so here we are today….me moving across the country to be with him. He’ll be starting law school this fall in Rhode Island, we finally have a place to live (thank God), we have a mini vacation to DC planned and some time in NJ before we head on up to RI to be with his family and friends for a bit. Knowing that this first year of school is going to be really rough and that we’ll be limited on the time we’ll have together we wanted to do a mini vacation before everything gets crazy. Neither of us have been to DC and both have really wanted to go and just very thankful that everything is working out. I still don’t have a job, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that when I get there the search will be a bit easier with having a local address.

Last week I finished packing up my cute little apartment, shipped my remaining boxes to Bryan’s parents and my parent’s houses. Had a yard sale and donated a bunch of stuff to the good will. Now I’m living with some friends who thankfully had an extra room for me and my remaining belongings. I have a little more than a month left in California before I board my one way flight back home. It sounds so good saying that…home. So please understand my lack of postings over the next two months until we get settled into our place and are able to unpack my entire kitchen which has now been shipped. I’m very much looking forward to this new adventure. Bryan and I getting to start our lives together (in the same place), a new home, a new job in the hopefully not so distant future, a new place to explore some gluten-free goodies and getting to be closer to my family again.

I may not know where I’ll find a job and I understand that is a rough market it out there but I do know how much I love him and how worth it this relationship is. He is my best friend and I can’t wait to share our everyday lives together and have a home cooked meal together.